Re: My Wife just broke her deceased moms perfume bottle..

short_bob,

Since the perfume belonged to her mother, it may be a vintage formulation of a perfume that has since been discontinued or reformulated. (Many of these can still be found on eBay.) Do you have any idea when she bought it? How old was your mother in law? Did she buy "nicer" clothing, shoes, bags or was she more budget-minded? If she splurged a bit on accessories she may have on perfumes as well.

There are some folks on here who are very good at blind sniffs-- figuring out what a perfume is from smelling it. You could swab some of the remaining perfume from the broken bottle carefully with a clean swap, seal the swab in a ziplock bag and mail it to one of these excellent sniffers who may give you an idea of what it is. I won't volunteer for this, I'm not so good at that, but someone else here may.

You could also take it to a perfume counter, preferably at a store like Saks or Neiman Marcus, and sniff fine perfumes, trying to identify it that way. Visit Guerlain and Chanel counters and ask the sales associate to sniff the swab too. But it may be difficult to do this if the perfume has changed over time, and it may have done so if it is quite old.

Still, it would make for an interesting project for us here-- smell the swab and identify the perfume.

You might want to surprise your wife with the bottle but then enlist her cooperation in the scent identification project. Did your wife wear the scent at all? Can she compare it to any other perfume she has smelled? Flowery, sweet, powdery, spicy, any descriptors would help.

Re: My Wife just broke her deceased moms perfume bottle..

Thank you so much for helping me with this. I'd be more than happy to swab something and mail in a zip lock bag. Can you send personal messages on this site?

My wife is so upset that she doesn’t even want to talk about it (long story)!! So I’m doing this in secret.

Yep, you are correct. It was decanted into the Waterford Crystal bottle.

What can I tell you? Well, not a lot. Her mum was American, died young in San Francisco about 4 years ago. I reckon approximately 45 – 50 years old. There is family in Hawaii where my wife has a sister. That could be a clue? Average income. Nothing too flashy.

I’m hopeless at this kind of thing but I think it does smell florally. Kind of rich / heavy. Not over powering. I guess it has lost some of its power due to how it has evaporated.

Could I use a liquid to move it from the bottle to perhaps another? Alcohol perhaps?

My wife never wore it. She just sniffed the bottle to remind her of her mom from time to time

If you think there is enough for you to be able to help let me know and I’ll figure out a way to get a sample to you.

Thanks again everyone! I wasn't expecting such a positive response.

In other news my replacement Waterford Crystal replacement bottle is on its way

Re: My Wife just broke her deceased moms perfume bottle..

Yay for the new bottle heading your way!

Sound like your MIL was around my age-- I'm 56 now.

EDIT: Which makes me wonder if it would have maybe been one the 1980s powerhouse fragrances: Opium, Poison, Paris or maybe Halston even, from the mid-1970s. You may also want to try Joy and Chanel No. 5, iconic fragrances worn my so many women.

Don't use regular isopropyl/rubbing alcohol, it has a scent of its own! Is the only perfume remaining that bit we see in the photos?

If the perfume can be dabbed or picked up with a swab without being diluted, maybe it would be best to keep it that way (it would be stronger). If not, then it could be diluted with unflavored, ordinary vodka (what do the rest of you think? Would vodka work or does it need to be Everclear or Graves/ higher proof than vodka?)

Yes, you can send private messages. Click on the username and select from the drop-down menu "private message".

Who is well-versed in lots of ladies scents and is willing to give it a try? What about Haunani? I'm thinking of the Hawaii connection. Or maybe Twolf? Knit?

Another thought: Is it possible the perfume was given to your MIL by her husband? Is he still living and can he be asked?

Re: My Wife just broke her deceased moms perfume bottle..

I think I'll leave the diluting project for last resort!

Hmmm, it could be one of those 1980's perfumes. Ha, that's taking be back a bit

Sadly, her Father is no longer with us. I never actually met the in-laws. There is just one person I know I could ask... an uncle. Don't know him very well so I might sleep on that. I have no idea how close they were.

Correct, unfortunately what you see in the pictures is all that's left. What do you reckon? Should I use a cotton wool ear bud for the smell test?

I'm in San Diego. How awesome would it be if I was local to one of the blind sniffers! I could bring the bottle remains.

Re: My Wife just broke her deceased moms perfume bottle..

I've been following this thread but seeing as you were already in such good hands, I did not have anything further to add until now.
A blind sniff would be a very good idea. We're actually quite good at those.
Would you be able to visit a shop in San Francisco? There's a place there called Josephines. The owner can be quite cantankerous but he knows his stuff. He has quite a collection of older, as well as recent fragrances. I'd see if you could talk with him first and present your case. He may tell you to forget about it or he may say "come see me."

Re: My Wife just broke her deceased moms perfume bottle..

Originally Posted by 30 Roses

short_bob,

Since the perfume belonged to her mother, it may be a vintage formulation of a perfume that has since been discontinued or reformulated. (Many of these can still be found on eBay.) Do you have any idea when she bought it? How old was your mother in law? Did she buy "nicer" clothing, shoes, bags or was she more budget-minded? If she splurged a bit on accessories she may have on perfumes as well.

There are some folks on here who are very good at blind sniffs-- figuring out what a perfume is from smelling it. You could swab some of the remaining perfume from the broken bottle carefully with a clean swap, seal the swab in a ziplock bag and mail it to one of these excellent sniffers who may give you an idea of what it is. I won't volunteer for this, I'm not so good at that, but someone else here may.

You could also take it to a perfume counter, preferably at a store like Saks or Neiman Marcus, and sniff fine perfumes, trying to identify it that way. Visit Guerlain and Chanel counters and ask the sales associate to sniff the swab too. But it may be difficult to do this if the perfume has changed over time, and it may have done so if it is quite old.

Still, it would make for an interesting project for us here-- smell the swab and identify the perfume.

You might want to surprise your wife with the bottle but then enlist her cooperation in the scent identification project. Did your wife wear the scent at all? Can she compare it to any other perfume she has smelled? Flowery, sweet, powdery, spicy, any descriptors would help.

Re: My Wife just broke her deceased moms perfume bottle..

It's my lovely wife's birthday next week so time for an update!!

I totally nailed the perfume today with the help of Tinamarie Torres at Neiman Marcus, San Diego. Awesome woman.

What a saga though. I accidentally went to mission valley. I got up early and arrived at 9am. I didn't realise the shops don't open until 10!! Couldn't even get coffee. So I lurked and paced up and down like a caged animal. I hate shopping unless I'm sat at my computer!

Anyway I could not find any of the good places everyone was talking about on the SD perfume link above. Went to one shop and I couldn't even get the guy to smell the bottle. He was just your average box shifter. Didn't care for me and I didn't care for him very much. Found some girls in Mace's and it was then I realised I wasn't in Fashion Valley!! By this time it was 1030!!

So I hit the road but my phone absolutely REFUSED to tell me where I was so I couldn't navigate. I was rubbish. Ended up in a Chevy dealership asking a greasy looking towing dude how to get to fashion valley.

Picture the scene: Dude (me) in truck asks another dude in a bigger truck who delivers trucks where the perfume shops are in fashion valley. We talked about stuff for like 5 minutes. Surreal. Ha ha. Took his gloves off and we shook hands to say good bye. Great guy.

When I finally found the right mall I ended up parked on the roof right next to Neiman Marcus. I found the perfume counter and delivered my now fairly polished introduction. I must have looked and sounded strange... speaking fast and brandishing a ziplock bag full of broken glass.

So anyway I asked if anyone had a great nose for perfume like a wine taster. Enter Tinamarie who looked at me sideways and said slightly hesitantly "I do... sometimes". I handed her the bag and she sniffed and sniffed. It took her 30 seconds and she said I think it is XXXX and took me to another part of the store and gave me a sample to smell.

OMG. I almost meed my pants!! She nailed it. We checked with a couple of other noses in the store and everyone agreed... yes this was indeed the right perfume.

So Basenoters... quiz time! From the website of the perfume in question:

Re: My Wife just broke her deceased moms perfume bottle..

Wow Bob! You deserve a Husband of the Millenium award for sure!!!!! That's an amazing thing you managed to do, and I'm so glad you could track down the perfume again!

- - - Updated - - -

Just think, now your wife will have TWO stories behind that perfume. One of how her mother bequeathed her lovely bottle of perfume to her, and one of how her wonderful husband went to the ends of the earth to replace it when it was broken!

Re: My Wife just broke her deceased moms perfume bottle..

I already gave her the bottle as part of our anniversary present this year. She was blown away especially as I kept my cards close to my chest.

Do I:

A. Give her the new perfume in the box as purchased from the store?

B. Hide the Waterford bottle and decant into it... but I would have to destroy the store vaporiser to get the perfume out (Tinamarie told me what I need to do to get the perfume out). Wife's birthday is Friday so she might not miss it.. also we are in the middle of packing to move house, so I reckon could totally get away with it.

C. Give it to her (as A.) and later on ask if she wants me to decant to the bottle?